Recent Advances and Difficulties of Infrasonic Wave Investigation in the Ionosphere

Acoustic waves have a remarkable ability to transfer energy from the ground up to the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. On the ground, there are many permanent sources of infrasound, and also pulsed and/or sporadic sources (e.g., sea waves, infrasonic and sonic noise of cities, lightning, earthquakes, explosions, etc.). The infrasonic waves carry away the major part of their energy upwards through the atmosphere. What are the consequences of the upward energy transfer? What heights of the atmosphere are supplied by energy from various sources of an infrasonic wave? In most cases, the answers to these questions are not well known at present. The only opportunity to monitor the propagation of an infrasonic wave to high altitudes is to watch for its influence on the ionospheric plasma. Unfortunately, most of standard equipment for ionospheric sounding, as a rule, cannot detect plasma fluctuations in the infrasonic range. Besides, the form of an infrasonic wave strongly varies during propagation due to nonlinear effects. However, the development of the Doppler method of radiosounding of the ionosphere has enabled progress to be made. Simultaneously, the ionospheric method for sensing aboveground and underground explosions has been developed. Its main advantage is the remote observation of an explosion in the near field zone by means of short radio waves, i.e., the radio sounding of the ionosphere directly above the explosion. The theory of propagation of an acoustic pulse produced by an explosion on the ground up to ionospheric heights has been developed better than the theory for other sources, and has been quantitatively confirmed by experiments. A review of some advances in the area of infrasound investigations at ionospheric heights is given and some current problems are presented.     

远程事件次声监测中的信号参数二维子空间计算方法

越来越多的观测发现,在地震、火山爆发、泥石流等重大自然灾害发生前,常产生异常的次声信号,这为地震及其他自然灾害的预报工作增加了一种可能的信息;同时,次声还是监测大气层、浅地表爆炸的有效手段.在自然灾害和爆炸事件次声监测中,慢度和方位角等参数对于源信号传播、定位以及源性质识别等工作具有重要意义.然而,目前的慢度和方位角等参数的算法——频率波数(FK)分析法,尚存在精度和分辨率不高等问题,特别是对多源次声信号的识别能力较差.为提高次声信号的监测精度,基于次声信号和噪声的子空间不相关性,构建了次声信号慢度和方位角二维子空间计算模型,并在此基础上提出了一种高分辨率次声信号二维子空间算法,仿真实验和实际数据的对比分析结果表明:本文提出的方法在精度和分辨率方面明显优于FK法,且能够更好地分离多源次声信号.     

Infrasonic Signal Detection and Source Location at the Prototype International Data Centre

—?This paper describes an automatic and interactive data processing system designed to locate impulsive atmospheric sources with a yield of at least one kiloton by detecting and characterizing the airborne infrasound radiated by the source. The infrasonic processing subsystem forms part of a larger system currently under development at the Prototype International Data Center (PIDC) in Arlington, Virginia where seismic, hydroacoustic, radionuclide and infrasonic methods are used to detect and locate impulsive sources in any terrestrial environment. Infrasonic signal detection is achieved via a coincidence detector which requires both the normalized cross correlation and the short-term-average/long-term-average ratio of a beam in the direction of maximum correlation to exceed predetermined threshold values simultaneously before a detection is declared. The infrasound propagation model currently used to infer travel-time information assumes the horizontal sound speed across the ground to be 320.0?m/s. This crude model is currently being replaced by a model which predicts travel-time information through a ray-tracing algorithm for acoustic waves in an atmosphere with seasonal representations for temperature and wind. A novel feature of the source location process is the fusion of all available arrival information, whether it be seismic, hydroacoustic or infrasonic to locate a single source where it is reasonable to hypothesize a common source. In its final configuration the infrasonic subsystem will routinely process data from the global 60-station International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasonic network currently under development.     

北京地震前的异常次声波

观测并研究了2011年10月12日发生在北京海淀区的一次小地震前4天,五个次声监测站点接收到的异常次声波信号.这五路信号的波形一致,均为"N"形脉冲波,且持续时间基本一致,约在一个小时左右.基于Wigner-Ville分布方法对信号进行时频分析发现次声波能量主要集中在0.025 Hz的频率以下.五路信号间的相关系数均高达0.8左右.采用波束形成方法对信号源进行成像定位研究,其结果表明:该地震前异常次声波源的位置与地震发生时震中的位置相差约5 km.本文的分析结果说明了地震前可能有低频大气次声波的产生,研究这类次声波可能为地震的预测提供一种有价值的信息.     

Towards an Automatic Monitoring System of Infrasonic Events at Mt. Etna: Strategies for Source Location and Modeling

Active volcanoes characterized by open conduit conditions generate sonic and infrasonic signals, whose investigation provides useful information for both monitoring purposes and studying the dynamics of explosive processes. In this work, we discuss the automatic procedures implemented for a real-time application to the data acquired by a permanent network of five infrasound stations running at Mt. Etna volcano. The infrasound signals at Mt. Etna consist in amplitude transients, called infrasound events. The adopted procedure uses a multi-algorithm approach for event detection, counting, characterization and location. It is designed for an efficient and accurate processing of infrasound records provided by single-site and array stations. Moreover, the source mechanism of these events can be investigated off-line or in near real-time by using three different models: (1) Strombolian bubble; (2) resonating conduit and (3) Helmholtz resonator. The infrasound waveforms allow us to choose the most suitable model, to get quantitative information about the source and to follow the time evolution of the source parameters.     

Infrasound Detection of Large Mining Blasts in Kazakstan

—?We describe infrasonic observations recorded since October, 1997, at the Kurchatov Observatory in Kazakstan from large mining blasts in Kazakstan and Siberia. Seismic signals are regularly recorded on a 21-element cross-array from events located at the Ekibastuz mine, 250?km NW of Kurchatov. However, associated infrasonic detections are infrequent and appear to be seasonal, with maximum numbers of detections occurring during November to January. Raytracing through model atmosphere temperature and wind profiles predicts enhanced infrasound reception during the winter months, when the prevailing stratospheric winds blow towards Kurchatov. In addition, raytracing confirms that the first infrasound arrivals at Kurchatov propagate through the troposphere and are followed, some 50–70?s later, by a stratospheric arrival.     

Acoustic source characterization of impulsive Strombolian eruptions from the Mount Erebus lava lake

We invert for acoustic source volume outflux and momentum imparted to the atmosphere using an infrasonic network distributed about the erupting lava lake at Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica. By modeling these relatively simple eruptions as monopole point sources we estimate explosively ejected gas volumes that range from 1,000 m³ to 24,000 m³ for 312 lava lake eruptions recorded between January 6 and April 13, 2006. Though these volumes are compatible with bubble volumes at rupture (as estimated from explosion video records), departures from isotropic radiation are evident in the recorded acoustic wavefield for many eruptions. A point-source acoustic dipole component with arbitrary axis orientation and strength provides precise fit to the recorded infrasound. This dipole source axis, corresponding to the axis of inferred short-duration material jetting, varies significantly between events. Physical interpretation of dipole orientation as being indicative of eruptive directivity is corroborated by directional emissions of ejecta observed in Erebus eruption video footage. Although three azimuthally distributed stations are insufficient to fully characterize the eruptive acoustic source we speculate that a monopole with a minor amount of oriented dipole radiation may reasonably model the primary features of the recorded infrasound for these eruptions.     

Hovsgol earthquake 5 December 2014, <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript> = 4.9: seismic and acoustic effects

A moderate shallow earthquake occurred on 5 December 2014 (M _W = 4.9) in the north of Lake Hovsgol (northern Mongolia). The infrasonic signal with duration 140 s was recorded for this earthquake by the “Tory” infrasound array (Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Russia). Source parameters of the earthquake (seismic moment, geometrical sizes, displacement amplitudes in the focus) were determined using spectral analysis of direct body P and S waves. The spectral analysis of seismograms and amplitude variations of the surface waves allows to determine the effect of the propagation of the rupture in the earthquake focus, the azimuth of the rupture propagation direction and the velocity of displacement in the earthquake focus. The results of modelling of the surface displacements caused by the Hovsgol earthquake and high effective velocity of propagation of infrasound signal (~ 625 m/s) indicate that its occurrence is not caused by the downward movement of the Earth’s surface in the epicentral region but by the effect of the secondary source. The position of the secondary source of infrasound signal is defined on the northern slopes of the Khamar-Daban ridge according to the data on the azimuth and time of arrival of acoustic wave at the Tory station. The interaction of surface waves with the regional topography is proposed as the most probable mechanism of formation of the infrasound signal.     

KamIn information system for monitoring wave perturbations in the atmosphere on the Kamchatka Peninsula

The KamIn information system (IS) created at the Kamchatka Branch of GS RAS to collect, store, and preprocess data on the wave perturbations in the atmosphere is described. The KamIn IS observation system and infrastructure are described in detail; they make it possible to select infrasonic signals that occur during volcanic eruptions on Kamchatka and in the northern Kurile Islands both in the operational and regular mode. The results of the IS performance in 2010–2016 are summarized.     

Source location variability and volcanic vent mapping with a small-aperture infrasound array at Stromboli Volcano,Italy

Stromboli Volcano in Italy is a persistently active, complex volcanic system. In May 2002 activity was confined to 3 major summit craters within which several active vents hosted multiple explosions each hour. During a 5-day field campaign an array of 3 low-frequency microphones was installed to investigate the coherent infrasound produced by degassing from these vents. Consistent phase lags across the 3 stations indicate distinct sources that are subsequently investigated to determine the associated vent location, apparent depth, and origin time. The cross-correlation routine allows for variations in comparison window length, waveform filtering bandwidth, and correlation and consistency thresholds, allowing for improved detection of certain types of degassing sources. Identification of activity at the various vents could be subsequently corroborated with 3 channels of synchronously acquired thermal data and video. During the May 2002 experiment persistent, energetic infrasound was observed from a passive degassing source within the Central Crater (CC) and transient infrasound, produced by discrete Strombolian explosions, was identified at 4 additional vents. The continuous infrasound produced by the CC exhibits variable frequency-dependent correlation lag times that are interpreted as a diffraction effect due to the acoustic radiators recessed location within a steep-walled crater. Such dispersion has important implications for accurate eruption source modeling because it indicates that infrasonic waveforms may be significantly filtered during propagation. Transient explosion signals from the Northeast Crater (NEC) and Southwest Crater (SWC) vents also exhibit dynamic correlation lag times, but this scatter may be more reasonably attributed to variable epicentral locations. Explosions from the NEC west vent, for instance, appear to emanate from a diffuse zone with a lateral extent in excess of 10 m.Editorial responsibility: R. Cioni     

2001年1月强震的前兆次声波测量及机理探讨

频谱分析结果表明 :(1) 2 0 0 1年 1月 (含两次 8级地震 )的测量结果与 1999年 1月～ 7月、 2 0 0 0年 4月～ 2 0 0 1年 4月观测结果具有相同的规律 ,强地震前约 10天内常能测到振幅很强、方向可测的地震前兆次声波。其三维动态频谱的典型特点是振幅由弱 (10Pa～ 2 0Pa)变强 (80Pa以上 ) ;最后的周期范围很宽 (2分～ 6 5分 ) ;波形明显不同于流星雨次声和大风次声。 (2 )强震前兆次声三维动态频谱的最大振幅不仅受震级大小影响 ,而且与震源距离及深度等其它因素都有关。 (3)强震前长周期波的产生机理 ,主要有断层预滑理论、断裂预扩展理论和流体撞击假说 ,而前兆次声波很可能是由地壳中的长周期波耦合到空气中形成。 (4 )岩石破裂实验证实主破裂前在岩石表面和空气中均收到较强的低频波。 (5 )若在北京和昆明各建足够大的三点阵测准波向 ,两直线相交 ,即可预测国内的震中位置 ,这就可能为临震预报提供一种较有效的新方法     

Simultaneous infrasonic,seismic, magnetic and ionospheric observations in an earthquake epicentre

Various pre-seismic and co-seismic effects have been reported in the literature in the solid Earth, hydrosphere, atmosphere, electric/magnetic field and in the ionosphere. Some of the effects observed above the surface, particularly some of the pre-seismic effects, are still a matter of debate. Here we analyze the co-seismic effects of a relatively weak earthquake of 28 October 2008, which was a part of an earthquake swarm in the westernmost region of the Czech Republic. Special attention is paid to unique measurements of infrasonic phenomena. As far as we know, these have been the first infrasonic measurements during earthquake in the epicentre zone. Infrasonic oscillations (～1–12 Hz) in the epicentre region appear to be excited essentially by the vertical seismic oscillations. The observed oscillations are real epicentral infrasound not caused by seismic shaking of the instruments or by meteorological phenomena. Seismo-infrasonic oscillations observed 155 km apart from the epicentre were excited in situ by seismic waves. No earthquake-related infrasonic effects have been observed in the ionosphere. Necessity to make vibration tests of instruments is pointed out in order to be sure that observed effects are not effects of mechanical shaking of the instrument.     

Identification of blasting sources in the Dobrogea seismogenic region,Romania using seismo-acoustic signals

In order to discriminate between quarry blasts and earthquakes observed in the Dobrogea seismogenic region, a seismo-acoustic analysis was performed on 520 events listed in the updated Romanian seismic catalogue from January 2011 to December 2012. During this time interval, 104 seismo-acoustic events observed from a distance between 110 and 230 km and backazimuth interval of 110–160° from the IPLOR infrasound array were identified as explosions by associating with infrasonic signals. WinPMCC software for interactive analysis was applied to detect and characterize infrasonic signals in terms of backazimuth, speed and frequency content. The measured and expected values of both backazimuths and arrival times for the study events were compared in order to identify the sources of infrasound. Two predominant directions for seismo-acoustic sources’ aligning were observed, corresponding to the northern and central parts of Dobrogea, and these directions are further considered as references in the process of discriminating explosions from earthquakes. A predominance of high-frequency detections (above 1 Hz) is also observed in the infrasound data. The strong influence of seasonally dependent stratospheric winds on the IPLOR detection capability limits the efficiency of the discrimination procedure, as proposed by this study.     

Infrasound from tropospheric sources: Impact on mesopause temperature?

Three- to six-day oscillations in the mesopause temperature have been observed all over the year. While these oscillations can be explained by planetary wave activity in wintertime, their summertime appearance is still under discussion.One effect possibly contributing to such summertime oscillations in the mesopause is acoustic heating. Infrasound generated by low-pressure areas or thunderstorm cells propagates into the upper atmosphere and deposits heat in this region. It is speculated that the oftentimes about weekly variation of low-pressure areas due to troposphere planetary wave activity is a potential source mechanism for mesopause temperature oscillations through infrasound as a transporting mechanism.The modeling structure of infrasound propagation as well as of acoustic heating is presented. It leads to the quantification of expected temperature fluctuations and acoustic heating rates at the mesopause height, which both appear to be too small to give a sole explanation for the 3–6-day oscillation.     

2003年日本北海道8.0级地震次声波特征研究

利用在北京昌平安装的次声三点阵, 记录了2003年9月26日日本北海道地震的前兆次声波和震后次声波。 实际记录的P-t曲线及波速波向图, 经快速傅立叶变换得到其三维动态频谱。 结果表明: ① 强震前2～7天能测到振幅很强、 方向可测的地震前兆次声波。 其频谱特点是: 振幅由弱(10～15 Pa)逐渐加强到(50～80 Pa)或更大; 先为短周期波(10～30 min), 紧跟着长周期波(30～50 min), 然后又出现更长的周期波, 最后长短周期的波一起出现连成一片(2～62 min); ② 地震前兆次声波的产生和记录较容易, 而当地次声波和震中次声波记录和识别比较困难; ③ 若两地的三点阵波向相交, 可预测震中位置。 故地震前兆次声波的测量研究, 有可能发展成为临震预报中一种有效的新方法     

Mapping complex vent eruptive activity at Santiaguito,Guatemala using network infrasound semblance

Pyroclastic-laden explosive eruptions from Santiaguito Volcano (Guatemala) are vented from the 200-m diameter Caliente Dome summit and result in a superposition of spatially extensive and temporally sustained (tens of seconds to minutes) acoustic sources. A network of infrasonic microphones distributed on various sides of the volcano record distinct waveforms, which are poorly correlated across the network and suggestive of acoustic interference from multiple sources. Presuming the infrasound wavefield is a linear superposition of spatially and temporally distinct sub-events, we introduce a semblance mapping technique to recover the time history of the spatially evolving sources during successive time windows. Coincident high-resolution video footage corroborates that both rapid dome uplift and individual explosive pulses are likely sources of high semblance infrasound that are identifiable during short (2 s) time windows. This study suggests that complex and network-variable infrasound waveforms are produced whenever a volcanic vent source dimension is large compared to the wavelength of the sound being produced. Non-compact infrasound radiators are probably commonplace at silicic volcanic systems, where venting often occurs across a dome surface.     

Detection and Analysis of Near-Surface Explosions on the Kola Peninsula

Seismic and infrasonic observations of signals from a sequence of near-surface explosions at a site on the Kola Peninsula have been analyzed. NORSAR’s automatic network processing of these events shows a significant scatter in the location estimates and, to improve the automatic classification of the events, we have performed full waveform cross-correlation on the data set. Although the signals from the different events share many characteristics, the waveforms do not exhibit a ripple-for-ripple correspondence and cross-correlation does not result in the classic delta-function indicative of repeating signals. Using recordings from the ARCES seismic array (250 km W of the events), we find that a correlation detector on a single channel or three-component station would not be able to detect subsequent events from this source without an unacceptable false alarm rate. However, performing the correlation on each channel of the full ARCES array, and stacking the resulting traces, generates a correlation detection statistic with a suppressed background level which is exceeded by many times its standard deviation on only very few occasions. Performing f-k analysis on the individual correlation coefficient traces, and rejecting detections indicating a non-zero slowness vector, results in a detection list with essentially no false alarms. Applying the algorithm to 8 years of continuous ARCES data identified over 350 events which we confidently assign to this sequence. The large event population provides additional confidence in relative travel-time estimates and this, together with the occurrence of many events between 2002 and 2004 when a temporary network was deployed in the region, reduces the variability in location estimates. The best seismic location estimate, incorporating phase information for many hundreds of events, is consistent with backazimuth measurements for infrasound arrivals at several stations at regional distances. At Lycksele, 800 km SW of the events, as well as at ARCES, infrasound is detected for most of the events in the summer and for few in the winter. At Apatity, some 230 km S of the estimated source location, infrasound is detected for most events. As a first step to providing a Ground Truth database for this useful source of infrasound, we provide the times of explosions for over 50 events spanning 1 year.     

Locating the Tohoku-Oki 2011 tsunami source using acoustic–gravity waves

The giant Tohoku-Oki earthquake of 11 March 2011 in offshore Japan did not only generate tsunami waves in the ocean but also infrasound (or acoustic–gravity) waves in the atmosphere. We identified ultra-long-period signals (>500 s) in the recordings of infrasound stations in northeast Asia, the northwest Pacific, and Alaska. Their source was found close to the earthquake epicenter. Therefore, we conclude that in general, infrasound observations after a large offshore earthquake are evidence that the surface and the floor of the sea have been significantly vertically displaced by the earthquake and that a tsunami must be expected. Since infrasound is traveling faster than the tsunami, such information may be used for tsunami early warnings.     

Analysis of infrasonic and seismic events related to the 1998 Vulcanian eruption at Sakurajima

We present results from a detailed analysis of seismic and infrasonic data recorded over a four day period prior to the Vulcanian eruptive event at Sakurajima volcano on May 19, 1998. Nearly one hundred seismic and infrasonic events were recorded on at least one of the nine seismic–infrasonic stations located within 3 km of the crater. Four unique seismic event types are recognized based on the spectral features of seismograms, including weak seismic tremor characterized by a 5–6 Hz peak mode that later shifted to 4–5 Hz. Long-period events are characterized by a short-duration, wide spectral band signal with an emergent, high-frequency onset followed by a wave coda lasting 15–20 s and a fundamental mode of 4.2–4.4 Hz. Values of Q for long-period events range between 10 and 22 suggesting that a gas-rich fluid was involved. Explosive events are the third seismic type, characterized by a narrow spectral band signal with an impulsive high-frequency onset followed by a 20–30 second wave coda and a peak mode of 4.0–4.4 Hz. Volcano-tectonic earthquakes are the fourth seismic type. Prior to May 19, 1998, only the tremor and explosion seismic events are found to have an infrasonic component. Like seismic tremor, infrasonic tremor is typically observed as a weak background signal. Explosive infrasonic events were recorded 10–15 s after the explosive seismic events and with audible explosions prior to May 19. On May 19, high-frequency impulsive infrasonic events occurred sporadically and as swarms within hours of the eruption. These infrasonic events are observed to be coincident with swarms of long-period seismic events. Video coverage during the seismic–infrasonic experiment recorded intermittent releases of gases and ash during times when seismic and acoustic events were recorded. The sequence of seismic and infrasonic events is interpreted as representing a gas-rich fluid moving through a series of cracks and conduits beneath the active summit crater.     

Characterizing complex eruptive activity at Santiaguito,Guatemala using infrasound semblance in networked arrays

We implement an infrasound semblance technique to identify acoustic sources originating from volcanic vents and apply the technique to the generally low-amplitude infrasound (< 3 Pa at 1 km) signals produced by Santiaguito dome in Guatemala. Semblance detection is demonstrated with data collected from two-element miniature arrays with ~ 30 m spacing between elements. The semblance technique is effective at identifying a range of eruptive phenomena, including pyroclastic-laden eruptions, vigorous degassing events, and rockfalls, even during periods of high wind contamination Many of the detected events are low in amplitude (tens of mPa) such that they are observed only by select arrays positioned with proximity and line-of-sight to the source. Larger events, such as the pyroclastic-laden eruptions, which occurred bi-hourly in 2009, were detected by all five arrays and produced an infrasonic signal that was correlated across the network. Network correlated events can be roughly located and map to the summit of the Caliente Vent where pyroclastic-laden eruptions originate. In general, the degree of Santiaguito infrasound event correlation is poor across the network, suggesting that complex source geometry contributes to asymmetric sound radiation.